New book surveys W.Va. glass industry

The 200-page book takes a comprehensive look at the state's rich heritage of glass production and includes hundreds of photographs of glass factories, glass workers, maps, advertisements and more.

More than 450 companies and locations have produced hot glass since the first glass was produced in Wellsburg in the second decade of the 19th century. "West Virginia Glass Towns" provides a town-by-town list of the glass-producing concerns, giving dates and product lines.

Fifty-two communities are included in the survey, with significant chapters on known glass communities in Clarksburg, Fairmont, Huntington, Morgantown, Wellsburg, Weston and Wheeling.

Factories in the state produced flat or window glass, bottles and fruit jars, tableware, glass novelties and a wide range of other glass products. Factories along the Ohio River began decades before the Civil War, and as of early 2012 there remain 16 hot glass producers active in West Virginia. Many of these are small studio factories producing art glass.

According to the publisher, "This monumental document is the first ever look at the diverse, long lived and major employer in the state."

The book retails for $29.95 and can be found at local bookstores or through the West Virginia Book Co. at 888-982-7472 and www.wvbookco.com.